Shadow of great britain

On the deck of the Conqueror, there are two dark red velvet chairs and a small round table.

Arthur picked up the white porcelain teacup on the table and took a sip. He looked at the sun gradually setting in the sky and the golden sea, felt the gentle summer breeze, and felt that his tense nerves in recent days had finally relaxed.

Sitting next to him was an old man with some wrinkles on his forehead, wearing a silver-white wig, and wearing the uniform of a senior Royal Navy officer. This was the supreme commander of the entire Channel Fleet—General Edward Codrington.

Arthur originally thought this would be a tall and thick man, but in fact, Codrington was a man with an oval face, willow eyebrows, a hooked nose, and slender eyes.

If you take away his navy uniform, the melancholic temperament exuding from Codrington may be more like an artist with a paintbrush.

Of course, if he really became an artist, he might not have this melancholy temperament.

After all, who knows if he is so depressed because he was put in cold storage by the Admiralty.

When Codrington saw Arthur finishing his tea, he raised his finger and pointed to the fruit plate filled with raisins on the round table and said: "Come on, have some of this, it will taste good. Among all the raisins in the fleet, I dare say that the ones in the Channel Fleet are Absolutely the best. After all, I personally select the supplier of the raisins, and every grape must come from the sunny Apennine coast.”

As soon as Arthur heard this, he immediately understood that Codrington must still not let go of the knot in his heart.

After all, a normal admiral would not cause trouble to the Admiralty like this. He would just eat a raisin. Why would he have to go to the Mediterranean to buy some?

However, he still generously accepted the other party's suggestion and grabbed a handful of raisins and stuffed them into his mouth.

While chewing, he commented: "This is not ordinary sweetness. The grapes produced in sunny places like the Mediterranean are better than our local ones. Your Excellency, you really know grapes very well."

Codrington felt much better when he heard the compliment.

He said modestly: "If you eat more grapes, you will naturally understand. If you fight more battles, you will naturally win. But a genius scientist like you cannot rely on pure experience to accumulate Diligence is important, but in scientific research, talent is more important.”

When Arthur heard this, he almost spit out the black tea he had just put into his mouth to relieve his tiredness.

He adjusted his mood and managed to maintain a calm expression.

"Are you also a scientific researcher?"

"No no no."

Codrington held the tea cup and said with a smile: "I am far behind you and I. Although I am a member of the Royal Society, I can only be regarded as a hobbyist at best. Judging from your surprised expression, it must be Sussek. Didn't Duke St. John tell you? In fact, many generals in the Royal Navy are members of the Royal Society. Those of us are always paying attention to the progress in the scientific field.

Any wise admiral knows that good use of science can help us gain many advantages on the battlefield. To be honest, I am one of Mr. Faraday’s fans, but I am more concerned about his progress in chemistry. As for the direction of electromagnetism he recently proposed, I have only just started. "

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but his heart sank.

This doesn't sound right! Could it be that he wanted to ask me for advice in the field of electromagnetism?

As expected, Codrington asked: "Maybe I am presumptuous in asking this, but after all, you are probably the second person behind Mr. Faraday in the field of electromagnetics in the UK, so I want to know about the future development of electromagnetics. What do you think about the direction?"

"Um……"

Arthur pretended to be thoughtful. Regarding this issue, he chose not to talk about theory but only vision.

"The discovery of the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction has indeed solved a big problem for us. After discovering that electricity and magnetism can be converted into each other, Mr. Faraday began to devote all his energy to the development of electromagnetic generators.

If he makes a key breakthrough in this regard, then I believe that maybe in the near future, electromagnetic generators will be used in various fields of life like steam engines. "

"Electromagnetic generator?"

Codrington's eyes lit up when he heard this: "I know that some civilian ships powered by steam engines have appeared in the past two years. However, the power that steam engines can provide is obviously not enough to drive large warships for the time being, and can only be used as auxiliary power at most. . In your opinion, is there any opportunity to build a warship that is completely powered by electricity in the future?"

"A battleship powered by electricity?"

Arthur recalled it carefully, and it seemed that there was no such thing in his mind, but he couldn't refute Codrington's interest, so he could only reply.

"With science, all I can say is that anything is possible. But at the same time, you need to be patient. After all, you know, it has been a long time since the invention of the steam engine. But starting today, Britain really has A passenger railway powered entirely by steam locomotives. I believe electric warships will definitely appear, it just takes time."

Codrington laughed loudly when he heard this and said: "So you have also seen the news that the Manchester-Liverpool railway is about to open to traffic. To be honest, although I am old, I always like to follow the fashion. If I hadn't suddenly received a call to go to sea, Order, I was planning to take the first passenger train today."

Arthur joked: "Really? I'm just like you. If I hadn't suddenly received this case, I would probably be responsible for the Duke of Wellington's security on the train now."

After Codrington heard this, the old man couldn't help but said happily: "If you put it this way, it seems that we are destined to sit together and have a cup of tea today."

Arthur smiled and nodded: "Now it seems that this is probably God's will, right? I can't hide from having afternoon tea with you even if I want to."

Codrington nodded with a smile: "To say that Scotland Yard does not cherish talents, it actually puts an outstanding person like you on the high seas. What if something goes wrong? In the new field of electromagnetism, Great Britain The only ones who can do it are you and Faraday. Let me tell you, young man, you should just stop working at Scotland Yard. In two years, I might have to be transferred back to work at the Navy Headquarters. Then you can do science for me. Secretary."

Arthur was caught off guard by Codrington's sudden offer of an olive branch.

However, he thought about it for a moment and did not refuse immediately. Instead, he smiled and said: "If you need it in London, you can contact me at any time."

Hearing this, Codrington waved his hand and said: "No need anytime, I will need support after a while. To be honest, I will go back to London for vacation in two weeks, and my wife wants to take this opportunity to hold a party at home. The Science Salon needs outstanding young scientists like you to serve as guests. If you can spare some time, why don't we settle the matter now?"

Arthur was stunned by a series of combination punches from General Codrington.

Only now did he finally understand the other party's true intentions.

He said dumbfounded: "Your Excellency, if this is what you want, why do you go through such a big circle? I can completely agree to it."

As soon as Arthur's words came out, Codrington was surprised.

"Oh...yes...really? I thought you wouldn't be happy with it. After all, there are many scientists in the Royal Society who have very weird tempers, such as Farah...oh, no. You can't say they are weird, it's just that they I devote all my time to science, so I rarely want to appear in social places. Not to mention, this science salon is still hosted by..."

When Codrington said this, he suddenly stopped talking.

Arthur asked: "Or what?"

Codrington looked at Arthur, and the old man blinked hard: "Nothing, nothing..."

He hurriedly picked up the teapot and filled Arthur's cup.

"Come, Mr. Hastings, drink tea. This tea is carefully selected by me. Chinese tea is absolutely top-grade. I won't give this to ordinary people."